Satya   Nadella

What Albert Einstein is for relativity, what  Roald Amundsen is for South Pole, what  Johannes Gutenberg is for printing, Satya Nadella is for Artificial Intelligence.

 Satya Nadella is the current C E O  of Microsoft. He hails from  Hyderabad and joined Microsoft in 1992.His ambition is to empower every person and every organisation in this globe and lead to greater achievement.

 The book under review has a Foreword by Bill Gates who writes of  Satya “He was humble, forward looking  and pragmatic and was making big bets on a few key technologies like Artificial Intelligence and   Cloud Computing where  Microsoft  will differentiate itself ”. Satya has charted a course for making the most of the opportunities created by technology while also facing the hard questions. Gates describes this book as a thoughtful guide to an exciting, challenging future.

 The book is about individual change, transformation in Microsoft and the disruptive wave of technology experienced  by humanity which incorporates   Artificial Intelligence, mixed reality and quantum computing in the eternal quest for new energy, new ideas and continued relevance and renewal people,  organisations and societies are embarking on  a new adventure. Satya believes “Empathy” is the most valuable inducement to technologies advancement which is poised to alter status quo as never before.”

 Nadella provides a fascinating background of his childhood and how he joined Microsoft. “My personal philosophy and my passion, developed over time and through exposure to many different experiences, is to connect new ideas   with a growing sense of empathy for other people. Ideas excite me. Empathy grounds and centers me”.

 The book is about how people, organisations, and societies can and must transform-Hit Refresh—in in their  persistent quest for new energy, new ideas  ,relevance, and renewal. In this age of continuous updates and always-on-technologies, hitting refresh may sound quaint, but when it’s done right, a renaissance is the result. The cloud business taught Satya a number of lessons. Primarily a leader must see the external opportunities and the internal capability and culture.

 For Satya greatest satisfaction has come from “My  passion to see technology become more more accessible to people with disabilities and to help improve their lives in a myriad of ways”. 

 We are investing to lead in three key technologies that will shape our industry and others in the years to come—Mi​xed Reality, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum . These technologies will inevitably lead to massive shifts in our economy and society which are discussed in detail by Satya. Artificial Intelligence will help forecast crises like the Zika epidemic and help us focus our time and attention on things that matter most. Quantum computing will give us the computational power to cure cancer and effectively address global warming.

 A confluence of three breakthroughs-big data, massive computing power and sophisticated algorithms—is accelerating Artificial Intelligence from Sci-fi to reality. Artificial Intelligence is like a ladder and we are on the first step of that ladder. At the top is Artificial General Intelligence and  complete machine understanding of human change. It’s when a computer exhibits intelligence that is equal to or indistinguishable from a human.

 In the future Artificial Intelligence will become a more frequent and necessary companion, helping to care for people, diagnose illness, teach and consult.

 Today we don’t think of aviation as “Artificial flight”—it’s simply flight. In the same way we shouldn’t think of technological excellence as artificial, but rather as intelligence that serves to augment  of  human capabilities and capacities.

 Satya Nadella declares the aim of Microsoft—“Our allegiance is to a set of enduring values—privacy, security, free speech, opportunity, diversity and inclusion. We live by them and we will stand for them.”

 On a personal note Satya is a great devotee of  Cricket . He has a cricket bat signed by Sachin Tendulkar  as his favourite personal possession. His son Zain’s suffering from Asphyxia in utero changed their  lives in ways "we had not anticipated being an empathetic father, makes me a better leader."

 This is an outstanding book full of insights into human behaviour, human achievement and the role played by Microsoft.

 P.P.Ramachandran.

21/01/2018